Trent Meidinger

Remember front-line staff in your communication plans

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:14:44 -0500

The people attending to the customers your business counts on to survive and thrive often are overlooked in internal-communications plans. Although it’s a surprisingly common misstep, it’s avoidable. And when done well, it can pay off for the staff and customers alike.

A common scenario is with food-and-beverage businesses. For example, a favorite local restaurant with a history of consistently excellent food and service – the team culture would be envied by any big business – recently introduced a smart-phone app to offer customers daily and long-term loyalty rewards. Often, though, requests for a reward are met with courteous-but-quizzical looks. A member of the wait staff recently admitted the problem.

“We never learn about these offers until you tell us about them,” she told me. “We rarely hear about them from our managers.”

Clearly that’s a loss for everyone involved. But all it would have taken to avoid the problem is a quick start-of-the shift conversation or a note on a kitchen news board. Or, for staff members who opt in, a short text in the morning.

The same scenario plays out in corporate settings when phone-based service teams aren’t provided with advance copies of the materials sent to prospective or existing customers. It’s hard to back up a marketing offer or answer questions about an important change in company benefits when you don’t have the same information callers are holding in their hands.

If this communications gap is cropping up in your business, it’s easily resolved with the following tips.

Plan ahead. Regardless of what you’re writing an internal-communications plan for, determine whether one of the tactics should be to notify the front-line staff. If you’re not sure, talk with your company’s service manager. They will be delighted you did and can help you plan the right steps to reach their teams.
Share the stuff. If your customers will receive an email, share it with your company’s service team in advance whenever possible. Phone-based service teams in particular need time to schedule agents off the phone to familiarize themselves with the material.
Check in and follow up. Once your communication reaches your customers or employees and they begin responding, check in with the service staff to see how things are going. Very quickly you’ll learn how well the recipients are understanding and reacting to your communication. It’s also wise to follow up with the service team after all is done. They can share input that can help you improve your communications next time.

With a little foresight and collaboration, your organization can provide the consistent end-to-end experience your business is hoping for.

What are your experiences and tips for communicating with front-line staff?

The Case for Volunteerism

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:15:57 -0600

Stories about retail sales and this year’s top gifts seem to dominate the news during the holidays, but there’s a less-discussed one that outdoes them all: volunteerism in our communities.

I’m talking about giving rather than getting and the old-fashioned, brick-and-mortar, face-to-face-with-live-people kinds of communities, not the online ones we might aspire to build through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Most of us live in communities – whether we want to or not; whether we are wealthy or poor; whether we live in an apartment, condominium, townhouse or house; whether our block, neighborhood, town or city is large or small; and whether our family heritage is from Africa, Asia, Europe or anywhere else on the planet.

Communities are a common denominator among us – they could even be a unifier – and yet not everyone ventures into them with open minds, curious eyes and ears, and a giving heart. For many years, I was among the unadventurous. I could count on one hand (or one or two fingers, if I’m really honest) the number of hours I spent every year going into the community and doing something for the greater good.

But that changed two years ago. A trusted advisor encouraged me to “do something outside myself” that had no benefit for me. “Choose what you would enjoy doing and what calls on your natural talents,” he said, “and do something for someone else.”

I took his advice to heart and found a local anti-poverty organization that needed volunteers to conduct mock job interviews with its participants. I emailed the organization, met with the volunteer director, and after completing paperwork and a thorough orientation session was conducting mock interviews on a few Monday evenings.

It was a small start, and although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was a defining moment for me. My perspectives about life and awareness of my community began to evolve in wonderful ways.

It wasn’t easy at first. As with any change, I experienced a normal range of emotions, including fear (“what have I gotten myself into?”), self-doubt (“what do I have to offer?”) and sadness (“why are there are so many people in Minneapolis/St. Paul who are really suffering in their lives?”). But something inside told me to continue on and see what was around the next bend, so to speak.

So I kept going, conducting mock interviews consistently throughout the seasons for the past two years. And I’m glad I did so, because along the way I made new friends and had heartwarming experiences. I also learned the following valuable lessons:

We’re really not that different from one another. While volunteering, I met others with a wide array of backgrounds, interests, personalities, values, perspectives and life experiences. And from that I learned we all can be incredibly different while being – simultaneously – incredibly the same. Regardless of backgrounds and circumstances, I discovered, nearly everyone wants to fulfill a dream of some kind, desires to be loved and valued, and longs to be happy, peaceful and safe.
We don’t all get a fair start in life. I used to think that if a person works hard, there are few limits to what can be accomplished in life. My inaccurate idea changed through volunteering. I learned that not everyone receives a fair start in life. For example: how can you attend to your school studies if you’re always hungry?; how will you learn to apply for your first job if your parents haven’t had a job themselves or aren’t around?; or how will you learn to value yourself and make good decisions in life if the people around you don’t do that themselves and want to keep you down rather than lift you up? When this has been the case for someone, a helping hand from a volunteer can make all the difference in the world.
We all make mistakes. No one is perfect, and subsequently no one makes the right decisions 100 percent of the time. Whether the consequences are nearly unnoticeable or are so large they follow someone for a lifetime, people can and do learn from their mistakes. And because we’re all imperfect, we owe it to one another to sincerely offer forgiveness. Everyone deserves a shot at redemption.
Even while giving, you receive. This could be my biggest lesson learned from volunteering. And while it might sound cliché, it is so very true for me. Whenever I’m volunteering, I feel I receive far more than I give. It’s like food for my soul. How am I fed? Additional friends. New perspectives. Inspiration. A good feeling from helping people who want help. Appreciation from the nonprofit organization doing the bulk of the heavy lifting every day. And hope that the world can slowly become a better place if we all help to make it so.

So that’s what I’ve learned from volunteering in my community. It has been a wonderfully unexpected development in my life. And because of what I receive and what I suspect I have yet to learn from it, I plan to volunteer for the rest of my days.

How did you get started volunteering, and what has the experience been like for you?

Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, MN. (iPhone 3GS)

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:55:00 -0600

Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, MN. (iPhone 3GS)

Three Ingredients for Transforming Individuals, Organizations and Communities

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:43:41 -0500

When a spirit of appreciation, encouragement and respect arises among people, it’s a beautiful thing.

Last week I had a front-row seat to this phenomenon. It was a moving experience and offered lessons useful inside and outside the workplace.

The setting was a celebration for Twin Cities RISE! (TCR!) participants. Most spend 12 to 18 months in TCR!’s anti-poverty program, learning fundamental job skills along with how to value themselves and be empowered in their decision-making. A major part of the latter is choosing thoughts and feelings that lead to positive, productive behaviors.

The Little Earth Singers opened the celebration with an honor song. The purpose is to recognize a tribe’s, family’s or individual’s accomplishments. The lead singer said many people tend to view life as a sprint when actually it’s a long crawl. Among the American Indian teenage boys they mentor, the singers use honor songs to let them know they’re doing just fine moving along their paths in life and that others are cheering for them.

The singing was moving – and not only because of the powerful voices and drumbeats. To think of people coming together to publicly lift up others is inspirational. And I appreciate that it’s not because of a singular accomplishment. The point is to recognize where someone is today and to encourage them onward.

This theme continued throughout the TCR! celebration at the Wilder Center in St. Paul. One after another, participants at every stage in their program talked with deep appreciation about where they have come from, where they are today, and what they’re learning from others. From their stories and the honor song, here’s what I’m taking with me.

Appreciate the journey. In the spirit of Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu’s “a journey of a thousand miles,” the first step often is the most important because it starts you in a new direction. And once you’ve taken that first step, TCR! participants unknowingly reminded me, it’s valuable to acknowledge and appreciate what you learn and accomplish along the way. Doing so reminds you where you’ve come from, reinforces what you learn and motivates you to continue. It’s similar to the continuous-improvement philosophy in business but with a view well beyond the destination we tend to prize.

Encourage others along the way. The camaraderie at the celebration was contagious. Every participant who spoke thanked peers for their support and encouraged them to press on, regardless of the challenges they encounter. It was powerful to hear others admit to an occasional desire to stop at particularly difficult times. But a thread keeping them on course was encouragement from others – voices championing “you can do it” and “I’m here for you no matter what” and “we’re in this together.”

Respect, all around. Another highly evident characteristic in the evening was the respect participants have for one another and, especially, for the TCR! staff. It was clear that respect must be earned as well as given. I consistently observe this in the staff valuing, guiding, serving and encouraging participants, who in turn fully engage in, support others in and advance the program. It’s impressive to see how this respect-based environment fosters a healthy culture where people flourish and strive to help others do the same. Another benefit: Countless participants proclaimed how they sing TCR!’s praises among friends and family and encourage them to enroll in the program or support the organization. Talk about brand advocacy!

Appreciation, encouragement and respect altogether are helping TCR! participants and staff to accomplish amazing things, transforming individuals and their families along with the organization and our community. Imagine how we all could advance even further by following their lead.

Coon Rapids Dam on the Mississippi River. Between Brooklyn Park...

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:38:16 -0500

Coon Rapids Dam on the Mississippi River. Between Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids, MN. (iPhone 3GS)

PowerPoint: Friend or Foe of Internal Communications?

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:21:01 -0500

Revered or reviled, PowerPoint remains a prominent communications channel in organizations. Communicators explored its use in internal communications Oct. 5 on the biweekly #icchat tweet chat. I recapped the session as a guest contributor on Communication AMMO, a blog from communicator and #icchat host Sean Williams. Click here to read it.

Communications Fundamentals Still Matter, Even in Social Media

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:00:00 -0500

Some things are so good, they must endure.

Fundamental practices – classic, dependable and consistently effective – are among them. Every profession has them, including communications. And while the term “fundamentals” might sound old-school in the fresh and flashy world of social media, they can help us find our way, in a good way.

The adventure, potential and ease-of-use in social media sometimes make it easy to forget this. And when it happens, people notice. For example, I read a tweet calling on dad-bloggers to take more care in their writing so it looks better than what an eight-year-old would produce.

Another example is when a restaurant tweeted an attractive late-afternoon offer: It’s gorgeous outside, so come over and eat dinner on our beautiful patio. But on the call immediately afterward for a reservation, I was told, “Are you kidding? The weather is perfect, so we’ve been booked since this morning.” OK, then.

The more I participate in social media, the more I believe in the power and enduring benefits of the communications fundamentals I learned long ago. Following are four favorites:

Have a purpose. Do you want to make someone laugh? Influence or inform them? Compel them to hire you or buy something? Whatever it is, it’s important for you to know the purpose of your communications. It’s easy to spot who does know, and social media magnify this.

Know your audience. We can’t be all things to all people, so why try to be? It is confusing, and your message becomes diluted. Understand what your audience already knows and what they expect from you. And then deliver it with quality.

Write well. Tight, grammatically correct and error-free copy is a must, in my opinion. Always. If you practice it consistently, your writing improves and your readers appreciate it. A good post with links to resources on writing well is here.

Be courteous. Online should not be synonymous with indifferent. As you would in any social gathering, be polite, listen carefully and use manners. In addition, try not to repeat yourself, and be sure you can deliver whatever you promise.

Remembering the communications fundamentals helps everyone – contributors and readers alike – benefit from quality content along with strong online communities. Happy practicing!

Lake Harriet. Minneapolis, MN. (iPhone 3GS)

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:09:00 -0500

Lake Harriet. Minneapolis, MN. (iPhone 3GS)

How the Grocery Can Inspire Your Communications and Leadership

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:31:25 -0500

The grocery store has more sway than we give it credit for, and it has nothing to do with food.

Let me explain.

Communications and leadership practitioners know the importance of integrity, transparency and approachability. We appreciate the art of earning trust and respect from others. And we heed a number of other routinely tweeted and emailed must-dos.

Yet there is a detail easy to overlook: The people we work with have lives outside the office. They are more than their profession.

They have families. They have friends. Some have pets they adore more than families and friends. And they have – I’ll go on a limb – what all of us have in common: good times and bad, birthdays, responsibilities, opinions, worries, bills, wants, needs, dreams and all the other material of humanity.

It’s easily forgotten because life at work tends to be mobile, fast, partitioned and sometimes, alas, a tad cold. We focus on initiatives and strategies. Outcomes are crucial. Results must be measured and reported. The work subsequently tends to take the spotlight over the people doing the work.

Yet most of us – especially communicators and leaders – want to connect with the people in our organizations so we’re successful with our initiatives, strategies and outcomes. But that’s difficult to do well if we don’t consider the whole of the individuals with whom we work – and remember they are more than their profession.

A grocery store, of all things, helped to influence me in this.

For a period of time when I was a corporate communicator, I was accustomed to what I call interactive anonymity. I lived in a large city, worked from home and offices, and I traveled often. Communication was predominantly through email and phone. I interacted with people every day, but it was from afar, was nearly always scheduled, and often focused on the work.

Relocating later to a small town (population 15,000) to lead an operations center changed everything. Now, part of my job was about visibility with a large team. I interacted in person, scheduled and otherwise. I hosted town-hall meetings where, besides hearing what others said, I could see the unsaid. And as I talked with people, I learned more about them personally.

Altogether these things impressed on me the importance of personal connections, knowing the whole person and treating people honestly and fairly.

I also learned that, in a small town, it was probable in the grocery store to run into someone from the office. That did not happen where I lived before. Furthermore, it was likely their significant other, kids, grandparents, cousins or friends would be with them.

This was significant in that it prompted an important realization in me: If whatever I’ve done or said in the office was replayed among my co-workers’ friends and family in the grocery, would I still stand by my actions? Would I still feel I had acted with integrity and respect for others?

It influenced me then, and it remains powerful insight to this day. And it helps to remind me that we all are more than our professions.

Iron fence at the former governors’ mansion, Bismarck, ND....

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:35:00 -0500

Iron fence at the former governors’ mansion, Bismarck, ND. iPhone 3GS camera.

The Importance of the Everyday

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:06:00 -0500

In our online, mobile, instant-everything world it’s easy to expect the extraordinary, to look forward to whatever will wow us today. Subsequently it’s not surprising we also might want to instantly drive the extraordinary through our communications and leadership.

The downside is we come to expect an event – a speech, town-hall meeting, webinar or tweet chat , for example – to rapidly make substantive changes in our team or organization. It’s an unrealistic expectation, and it eventually disappoints everyone.

Adjusting our expectations and investing in the everyday is a better approach. Doing so is about recognizing and appreciating how the countless ordinary things we do every day add up to the extraordinary over time. For example, taking a moment to listen to someone’s concerns helps them feel heard and appreciated. Another example is consistently executing your internal-communications plan throughout the year. Over time it informs and engages employees so they come along with the organization, are productive and contribute to goals.

Early in my corporate-communications career I first heard from a wise friend about the importance of the everyday. I understood the idea, but I didn’t deeply learn how it plays out until I transitioned 11 years later to operations management. Responsible for large teams in the business travel and HR industries, I was on the other side of the fence, so to speak.

Instead of driving enterprise communications with the intention of swift results, I was the recipient responsible for cascading the messaging or executing a new program. And instead of writing key messages and coaching executives on delivery, I was the writer and deliverer – and the one accountable for everyone’s reactions.

It was an important shift in experiences. I learned it takes time for understanding to take hold, for worries to subside and for changes to get a firm footing. And while there certainly were some quick, extraordinary and sometimes serendipitous results, I appreciated them as exceptions to the norm.

The new insight influenced my subsequent communications programs to engage teams and help them through large cultural changes or business transformation. Along the way, I learned three things about the importance of the everyday and how it all adds up over time.

Trust and respect is everything. Without it, few things in life work well over the long run. Being available and open to others, listening to their concerns and caring about their well being are essential to earning trust and respect. So is being transparent with information and intentions. When you earn trust and respect, others might not always like where a business needs to go but will hear you out and do their best to support changes. They might even thank you.

Anything worthwhile takes time, effort and commitment. Things that matter do not come instantly or easily. Sometimes it feels like trying to fill a house with sand, one grain at a time. This doesn’t feel good, and you won’t always know whether you’re making a difference. That’s OK. You won’t see the outcome of everything you do. Trust in the process nevertheless.

Take care of the people who take care of others. I learned the importance of this with front-line teams responsible for assisting customers (revenue!) in one setting and co-workers (350,000) in another. How can we expect someone to care for another if they don’t feel someone cares about them? It works. Try it and get others to do the same.

Putting this into practice is a commitment, for sure. But starting today you can appreciate and invest in the ordinary in order to create the extraordinary.

Carriage-house door at the former governors’ mansion,...

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:01:00 -0500

Carriage-house door at the former governors’ mansion, Bismarck, ND. iPhone 3GS.

Built a SharePoint Site? Now Inspire Others to Use It

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:19:11 -0500

In my last blog I suggested steps to take early in the move to SharePoint and promised tips for encouraging use once it’s up. Here they are.

Be patient. Yes, that’s a tip in the other blog. It applies here, too. Launching the site won’t likely be a “build-it-and-they-will-come” event. Employees are accustomed to their routines and processes – for example, using email to collaborate on documents. They need time to become comfortable using and navigating the site. Allow for this, and everyone will be happier and more supportive over the long run.

Enlist fans. These are the early adopters, the people who were ready to use the site when it was only a concept. Fans are essential to encouraging use throughout your organization. They already know how to navigate, have figured out workarounds to quirks and appreciate the functionality. Subsequently, they tend to coach others and help your organization through its learning curve – if you let them. Do so. And be sure to recognize them. Fans are priceless.

Make it simple to get RSS feeds. Easy to use or do is high on the list for most of us. Ask a volunteer with RSS experience to help others set up their feeds for frequently updated content. It’s time well spent because employees learn how easy it is to subscribe. And they get additional tips along the way. Another aspect of RSS: Measuring and reporting your subscription rate can help you show executive sponsors a quantitative success metric. Time and money was spent on the site, so they want to see a return on the investment. This is a way – albeit a small, simple one – to show them an early return.

Use a groundskeeper. Everyone using the site has responsibility for keeping things fresh by deleting old documents and posts and by updating links and security access. But it helps to have someone walking the grounds, so to speak, from time to time to ensure this happens. It’s especially valuable if you share a lot of documents on the site. Also use your groundskeeper to lead the purge of documents that shouldn’t be transferred to the site from their old storage ground.

Arrange content well. It should be intuitive to find content on the site. If it is, people will use it. In some organizations – especially large ones with businesses within a business – there might be a tendency to arrange content by team. Decide whether that’s best for the long-term. It can become confusing when a person on one team needs a document, for example, but can’t remember which team owns it. A good search utility can help with this, of course. But in my experience it’s best to have a foundation of intuitively arranged content.

Putting these tips into practice will help inspire people to use your site. And once they do, momentum builds and possibilities flourish to advance productivity, knowledge-sharing and employee engagement.

North Dakota State Capitol building windows. iPhone 3GS.

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:23:00 -0500

North Dakota State Capitol building windows. iPhone 3GS.

Moving to SharePoint? Tips for Early Steps

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:52:00 -0500

If you’re responsible for helping your organization move to SharePoint, attention to important early steps will help you with a strong start and long-term success.

I was a SharePoint skeptic at first, but after assessing, implementing and using it for two years in my businesses at a former employer I became a fan. It provides new channels to advance productivity, knowledge-sharing and employee engagement.

Before you build your site and move content to it, consider the following suggestions.

Determine the purpose. Be clear on what you want to accomplish and get buy-in from stakeholders. For example, reducing email volume is important for some organizations. Others want centralized project collaboration or an internal communications stream. Whatever the reason – and as with most things in life – knowing what you want will help you get it. And you will avoid sidetracks later when you’re deep into the details of building your site.

Help others become comfortable. Since most people tend to shy away from a change in routines and habits, you might have a headwind in the move to SharePoint. Generating understanding and acceptance up front will foster active users later. Share the reasons for the change along with a high-level roadmap with key steps and timing. And always be ready to happily answer questions along the way – there will be many.

Invite input. SharePoint has a number of uses, so facilitate brainstorming with co-workers on how to benefit from this. Some of the best ideas will come from them. In addition, you might get tuned into hidden organizational or operational problems the site can solve. Be sure to recap and recognize the input you receive along with the ideas you use.

Be patient. The move to SharePoint takes time and effort, especially in the beginning. Help others understand that. And be comfortable with it yourself. Recognizing that Rome wasn’t built in a day will help you stay on course at every stage of the move.

Investing in these practices up front will pay off in the long-term. In a future blog I will share tips for organizing your site and encouraging use.

The North Dakota State Capitol building, from my perspective on...

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:02:00 -0500

The North Dakota State Capitol building, from my perspective on my iPhone.

For Your Best Communications, Avoid a Common Obstacle

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:36:00 -0500

A prankster – call him Mr. Assumptions – wants to trip up even the best communicators among us.

“You know what’s best,” he whispers in our ears while we write perfect messaging for our communications programs. “You know who they are and what they really need. They just don’t know it until you tell them.”

Uh, huh. Sure.

Obviously it’s best to avoid making assumptions, but it’s easy to do. You don’t even have to try, and the consequences are unwanted. Your communications program is off the mark and confuses your audience.

For me, an antidote to assumption-making is to remember a story a friend shared with me.

John lives in a neighborhood with a diverse cast of residents. While walking into the corner convenience store, one of his friends – a woman who is homeless – asked for a cup of coffee. John was happy to help.

Inside the store, he decided to go above and beyond and buy her a bagel, too. He said he was proud of himself for being generous and thoughtful.

Outside, John offered the coffee/bagel bonanza to his friend. She accepted the coffee and said “no thanks” to the bagel, adding, “I’m on a diet.” She wasn’t kidding.

The experience, John said later, made him think about the assumptions he sometimes makes of others along with his solutions to their needs.

His story encouraged me to take a fresh look at my own practices. I do so regularly and have concluded it’s essential – especially for communicators – to avoid assumptions by:

asking someone what they want or need.
listening from their perspective, not ours.
resisting the temptation to fit their responses into our predetermined solutions.

Listening without assuming. It’s easy to understand the theory, but it’s not always easy to practice it. We need to try. Goodbye, Mr. Assumptions.

Ears Before Words

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:01:00 -0500

Ears are underrated.

Although they are free (sorry, App Store), are always with us and require only basic maintenance, our ears often don’t get put to use. Yet they are priceless in connecting with others.

Communications professionals – or anyone who interacts with others – can benefit from using theirs to listen first and communicate second.

Listening has served me well. It has helped me write the right message, coach executives and lead teams through difficult changes. Following are three things I’ve learned and tips to consider.

Everyone wants to be heard. I learned this best after transitioning to operations management from corporate communications. Accountable for staffs up to 200 people, I quickly discovered most people have opinions and ideas about what’s working well and what could be better. When you’re the person in charge, people want you to listen to them – especially if they haven’t been heard before. Tip: Make time to ask someone what’s on their mind, remember what they say, and repeat what you heard. Besides being the right thing to do, it builds relationships.

Relationships are how things get done. When you listen to someone, trust, respect and understanding take seed and help people connect with you and vice versa. Those alone are wonderful things, and they bloom into relationships. From there you grow an entire garden of possibilities since relationships are how things get done in most parts of our lives. Tip: Make time to listen to people every day. It can be scheduled or ad hoc. The point is to do it.

What’s in it for me? Most of us quietly ask ourselves this question when we read or listen to something, so it’s crucial for communicators and leaders to have the answer. And not the answer you think is right but rather the answer your audience told you they expect. When a metric in my operations business was sliding, I looked to data but also walked the office. What people told me gave color to the data and answered WIIFM. I used it in town-hall meetings to talk about the metric problem, what I heard from everyone, and the changes we would make. The metric improved within a week. Tip: To get the WIIFM answer, ask your audience. They appreciate it.

That’s what I’ve learned. Want to share your thoughts? I’m listening.